The Joe Carter Classic Celebrity Golf Tournament Celebrates 5-Years in Toronto #JoeCarterClassic

Joe Carter's annual charity event has raised close to $1 million to benefit the Children's Aid Foundation and other local children's charities

TORONTO, Feb. 12, 2014 /CNW/ - For a fifth consecutive year, Major League Baseball All-Star and World Series hero, Joe Carter is set to return to Toronto on June 25 and 26 with over 40 celebrity friends for his annual golf tournament at Eagles Nest Golf Club. New this year, the event will expand to two days to include the Joe Carter Classic Celebrity Skins Game on June 25th, followed the next day by the charity golf tournament and VIP after party. To date, the Joe Carter Classic has raised close to $1 million for the Children's Aid Foundation and other local children's charities.

"I'm extremely proud of what we've achieved in support of charity-led youth educational and developmental programs," said Mr. Carter, event co-chair. "I'm lucky to have had a successful baseball career including two World Series wins with the Blue Jays, but I want my lasting legacy in Toronto to go beyond that. I want to be able to make a difference in the lives of local kids who need it most - so they have the opportunity for a better and brighter future."

"We're excited to announce that this year we've added the Celebrity Skins Game in order to expand our fundraising capabilities and access to our celebrity golfers," announced James Dodds, TD Bank Group vice president and event co-chair. "Celebrity-lead foursomes will compete for more than $25,000 in cash prizes with winners having the option to donate their prize money to the Children's Aid Foundation or a charity of their choice."

This year's star line-up will include many new and returning celebrity golfers, such as hockey legend Gordie Howe, basketball greats Charles Barkley and Moses Malone, and baseball superstars Ozzie Smith, Cito Gaston and Kelly Gruber.

"We're very grateful to have benefited from the generosity of the Joe Carter Classic participants and sponsors," said Valerie McMurtry, president and CEO of the Children's Aid Foundation. "The programs that have been funded by this event have had a transformative effect on the young people we serve by reintegrating severely at-risk youth back into their families and communities, and by allowing our youth to achieve their full potential through post-secondary education."

The two-day Joe Carter Classic is held at the Eagles Nest Golf Club in Maple, Ontario, the 2012 top rated public golf course in the GTA by SCOREGolf magazine. The formal charity tournament on June 26 includes a day of golf, dinner and a live auction. The event continues that evening at the Shangri-La Hotel in downtown Toronto with a celebrity-filled VIP after party.

Presenting sponsors for the tournament are TD Bank Group - the Official Bank of the Toronto Blue Jays, BlackBerry and Canada Goose. Supporting sponsors include: Air Canada, Charton Hobbs, CIBC, J.F. Moore Communications, Labatt, SDI Marketing, the Toronto Star and Xerox.

For further event details regarding sponsorship and foursome information, visit us at www.joecarterclassic.com. To keep tabs on celebrity and event updates, follow us on Twitter @JoeCarterGolf and "Like" us on facebook.com/joecartergolfclassic.

About the Joe Carter Classic
The annual Joe Carter Classic charity golf tournament pairs avid golfers with top name celebrities from the worlds of sport and entertainment. Proceeds from the event go towards supporting post-secondary attainment and social development programs for Canadian youth. Since 2010, the Joe Carter Classic has raised more than $1 million to benefit the Children's Aid Foundation and other local children's charities. For more information, including sponsorship details, visit http://www.joecarterclassic.com/

About the Children's Aid Foundation
One in every 25 children in Canada are at risk and need our help. Many suffer in poverty, while others have been victims of abuse and neglect. A staggering 76,000 of them live in foster homes or a residential facility. The mission of the Children's Aid Foundation is to fund programs that give them skills and hope for a promising future. For more information, visit http://www.cafdn.org/

SOURCE: Joe Carter Classic Golf Tournament

For media inquiries, please contact:

Nancy Vye
TD Bank Group
416-308-5164
[email protected]